It’s been a difficult week for this Charlotte, Michigan restaurant, Tequila’s Mexican Grill, but more so for the nearly 40 patrons reporting illness following a meal there. Health officials have worked this week to identify the cause and while they have not found it, they were able to rule out ‘norovirus’. This discovery, widening the mystery, led to a second closure this week. Having been ordered to shut their doors on Tuesday, Tequila’s was given the green light to reopen them following inspection by the Barry-Eaton District Health Department. In the following days more patrons reported digestive illness and the Health Department once again ordered them closed for investigation effective Friday night, June 21.
Food Poisoning Lawyer Tony Coveny, PhD is a food safety lawyer, author and commentator. He works with National Food Safety Lawyer Ron Simon.
Health officials, as is protocol, supervised clean up of the restaurant – both kitchen and dining area and verified all prepared food was thrown out. And, as the Department of Health works through this mystery outbreak, they will not even consider allowing re-opening until confirmation that all food-handling standards are being met at this establishment.
Tequila’s Mexican Grill is inspected twice annually and all violations addressed in the most recent inspection, April of this year, were corrected according to officials. These violations had to do with temperatures used to both store and cool food and storage of raw meats in close proximity to ready-to-eat foods.
There is no time-table for re-opening as inspectors use data collected and assistance from those having fallen ill in hopes to get at an answer. As of Fridays’ closure 39 patrons reported illness but more reports were coming in. Health officials have declined to update the number of reports at this time.
The almost 40 patrons reporting illness so far were all experiencing gastrointestinal issues. Symptoms included abdominal cramping, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Food poisoning, or foodborne illness can start within just hours of consuming contaminated food. Generally, food poisoning is caused by improperly handled or improperly cooked items, however, the problem can arise any time during processing of the food. Typically, the cause is found to be infectious organisms such as bacteria, viruses or parasites found in the consumed product.
Safe food handling makes all the difference in food safety and the Health Department expects restaurants such as Tequilas’ Mexican Grill to remain in compliance. Consumers deserve a meal that is not only delicious, but safely prepared.
For more information about the Tequila’s Mexican Grill Closure, or to speak to a
Food Poisoning Lawyer
, call 1-888-335-4901.
https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/06/michigan-mexican-restaurant-temporarily-closed-after-customer-illnesses.html
